


Other Woman

by LittleSweetCheeks



Series: Gershwin [6]
Category: Madam Secretary
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26554852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSweetCheeks/pseuds/LittleSweetCheeks
Summary: Even when she's not the other woman, sometimes she still feels like the other woman.
Relationships: Blake Moran/Nadine Tolliver
Series: Gershwin [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1898866
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	Other Woman

They’re entertaining the Italians tonight and she’s alone. With no Doctor McCord in attendance, Blake’s focus is singular and not on her and it sits oddly in her veins as she watches him. It’s been weeks since their night on the beach and she hasn’t been able to shake the memory of how it felt to be with him so publicly.

During the meal, she finds herself seated on his right. It’s standard procedure that he always takes the seat to Elizabeth’s right unless Henry is with them, the most important position, and in those instances he’s on her left, never out of reach. She’s always been the one to Elizabeth’s left either directly or one over with Blake between them, but this is the first time he’s sat her to his right, leaving Jay with the second most important seat. His attention though never strays from the job, from Elizabeth and she watches them, remembering how it felt to have that focus on her for an evening.

It takes too long for her to recognize the feeling as jealousy and then she realizes this could be the primary reason this would never work. His attention will always half belong to someone else and it sounds petty because she’s blown off her fair share for the same reason. For the same woman.

Focusing on her meal, she tries hard not to let her jealousy show, it’s not professional or appropriate and definitely not productive. Instead she pours her energy into rubbing elbows with the Italians and doing her best to foster good international relations. Her eyes, though, keep drifting to him. To them. To the way his smile is soft and his eyes never leave Elizabeth’s face, the way he touches her as he directs her through the crowd. Dragging her eyes away yet again, she makes contact with Jay’s gaze and realizes he’s been watching her watch them. She can see the gears turning in his mind.

The dancing begins and Matt and Daisy are making good on fostering international cooperation on the dance floor and she’s left alone. Over her champagne, she watches Blake lead Elizabeth to the dance floor and jealousy flames anew in her blood, but she can’t look away. He can dance with anyone, no matter how poorly they follow, and it means it only does wonders for their boss’s image. He’s done it enough times, knows her movements so well, he can make it look like she’s a natural too.

He’s a man of many talents and skills, though she knows almost no one in the room would suspect. In here, he’s mostly unmemorable and that’s the job. She knows he carries an honors postgrad degree that he’s proud of, it makes him a dangerous man to underestimate but also perhaps the right man to shadow the top diplomat’s every step, but it doesn’t show when he’s working a room. He’s terribly underutilized as an assistant, but he’s happy.

She thinks she’s buried the jealously down deep enough until she notices Jay approaching Blake as he leads Elizabeth from the dance floor, speaking to him softly before relieving him of their boss.

Winding his way through the crowd, Blake’s eyes meet hers and when he reaches her side, he brushes his fingers along her arm. “What are you thinking about?”

“Taking a cruise.” She’s not sure why she said it, but something flames hot in his eyes and it makes her shiver.

“People would ask questions, both of us taking time off at once.” She hadn’t considered that he’d thought about it, about their privacy, but he’s almost as private as she is. “Unless you don’t mind them asking.”

At this point it seems silly to stay quiet about it, there are only two people who even matter who are in the dark, if Jay’s behavior is an indicator. “No. I don’t mind.”

He brushes a stray curl back, tucking it behind her ear before leaning in. “May I?” It’s the tone that makes her knees weak, the tone he uses before he breaks her open.

It’s a moment of truth. She’s spent most of her life hiding relationships- first within the dance troupe, clear up to getting pregnant with Roman and finally marrying his father, then a short-lived romance during law school, and finally Vincent and the few men who followed. Too many times it was because the man she was with rightfully belonged to someone else, but just as many times it was because she feared being judged. “Yes.” She decides in a split second she’s done hiding in the shadows.

His lips brush hers and it’s nothing like she expects. It’s the kiss of someone comfortable, someone who doesn’t feel the need to lay claim, the kiss of someone who isn’t doing it to impress anyone. And then he’s gone again, leaving her to girlishly touch her lips with her fingers, wondering if it had really happened as Daisy and Matt appear at her side, the former practically buzzing with excitement. She ignores them, her eyes taking in the room that isn’t screeching to a halt over the display. No one else seems to care, which is as it should be, though Russell is frozen at Elizabeth’s side still staring until Blake appears before them.

“How long has this been going on?” Daisy finally bursts out and Nadine can’t help the grin.

“Since Myanmar.” She leaves her to work out the math, her focus now on Blake’s serious face as he speaks to Elizabeth. When he turns her way, she begins walking over, curious.

“Something to share?” She asks, looking between them all.

“I told her we want a week off for a cruise.”

“Ah.”

“We can manage.” Jay insists, clearly thrilled about this discovery.

“You…and you?” Russell asks before turning to Elizabeth. “You knew?”

Elizabeth only rolls her eyes before addressing Blake directly. “Book it and let me know.”

Russell’s still trying to process, Blake offers her his hand and leads her to the dance floor. “I saw that look in your eyes earlier. You were jealous.”

“It feels like even when I’m not the other woman, I’m still the other woman.” She admits, looking up to see if he understands. “And it feels silly, I know what your job is better than almost anyone. I know who you are and how you are.”

“But seeing me with her hurts you.” She can hear understanding in his voice.

“I’m sorry. I’m not asking you to choose.”

“I know.” He leans down and brushes another kiss to the corner of her lips. “It’s my fault. I was afraid.”

She doesn’t understand that. What would he be afraid about?

“We haven’t discussed what we wanted in public like this and I didn’t want to do something that made you uncomfortable. So, I did what I’ve always done.” A soft smile plays at his lips. “If it’s any consolation, she asked why I’m ignoring you tonight.”

“All my life, my relationships have had to remain in private. I don’t want that anymore.”

“Then we won’t.”

They continue dancing until they both spot Elizabeth nervously in conversation with someone, her smile fake and tense. Without discussion, they together shift from their private moment back to working and are the cavalry going to the rescue. When it’s said and done, Nadine wonders if perhaps this is a reason it could work. They are both loyal to their jobs, to their boss, and nothing would ever change that.

The night ends late into the evening and by then, their six is down to three. It’s a different sort of order walking toward the doors this time; she’s in the middle on Blake’s arm with Elizabeth to her left walking on her own. At the door, he pulls away only long enough to speak to Frank and bid goodnight before they’re watching the SUVs pull away. In the moonlight, he pulls her into his arms and when he kisses her soundly, she realizes that there was no reason to feel jealous.

=MS=

The morning after a dinner is usually slow and quiet on the seventh floor; hangovers are being nursed, contacts are being followed up on, and eye contact is occasionally being avoided. This morning, though, Nadine sighs heavily at the delighted grins filing into the conference room. They’d let the cat out of the bag last night but had left their coworkers with no answers and it looked like they planned on cornering her about those now.

“Oh, my god. You and Blake. I don’t know how I never saw it before!” Daisy gushes.

She attempts a withering look but can see Daisy isn’t cowed today, though Jay jumps in quickly with a comment that they are already behind schedule for the day. Blessed, sweet Jay. She makes a note to take him for lunch as thanks.

Nadine avoids looking Blake’s way as he follows Elizabeth in and tends to all the little things he normally does. She thinks it’s not obvious that she’s avoiding looking until Elizabeth leans over and whispers under Jay’s speech. “Just look already, get the moon eyes over with. Avoiding looking looks like it hurts.”

She can feel the blush threatening on her cheeks but allows a split-second acquiescence anyway. He’s at his desk writing but looks up and then lights up when they make eyes contact. It’s enough to make her heart skip but then she remembers to look away. When she lets her eyes look around the room again, everyone is focused on their own work, but with small smirks on their faces. It’s an odd feeling for it not to be a secret and she isn’t sure how to handle it.


End file.
